Ich & Figuig
The Oasis Campus centred in Cultural Landscapes
Ich and Figuig Oases, Morocco
WORKSHOP ON RESTORATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
ARCHITECTURE
In the oasis, the traditional construction techniques are still alive. You’ll learn to work with stone and earth techniques and to build roofs with locally adapted materials by working alongside local masters and craftsmen.
LEARN BY DOING
Landscape and territory will be key in this space for mutual learning.
Documentation and analysis are key. We’ll use Ich and Figuig Oases as case studies to approach these techniques.
TERRITORY
Before starting any intervention in a territory, it is fundamental to get to know it in deep. Oases are antropic landscapes, fragile and in risk of disappearance due to global climatic crisis, depopulation and desertification.
THE OASES
The OASIS CAMPUS workshop is part of the project of NGO Terrachidia. It aims to contribute to the development of small communities by the enhancement of their cultural and architectural heritage.
Within this general goal, we open a new line of workshops at the Oases of Ich and Figuig in the east of Morocco, centered on the Cultural Landscape of the Oases.
Oases are agrarian ecosystems created by humans as a way to economic development to survive in the hostile Saharian and pre-saharian territories.
You will learn to understand them as cultural landscapes while learning traditional construction techniques. All being part of a real cooperation project.
THE WORKSHOP
The oasis campus is a practical and theoretical workshop based on our #learnbydoing methodology.
Mornings will be dedicated to the workshop on documentation and intervention in the Heritage of the Ich Oasis. Afternoons are for visits and theoretical sessions on different topics related to the work that will be carried out during the workshop like heritage conservation, the resilience of oases landscape, water management, international cooperation or basic habitability.
There will be two main visits within the program. One to explore the ksour of Figuig Oasis that is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. Another one is to visit an archeological site nearby that holds cave paintings from the high Neolithic.
PRICE: 590€
It includes workshop training with architects specialized in Heritage, Landscape and Cooperation as well as with local construction masters and a certificate of attendance. Accommodation in a bivouac and all meals are also included.
CALENDAR :
> Arrival to Ich Oasis and welcome of participants
> Workshop at Ich Oasis
> Visit to Figuig Oasis
> Breakfast and farewell.
CLOSEST AIRPORTS :
Fès, Nador et Melilla
Thanks to the support of INTBAU with the Grassroots programme, we offer SCHOLARSHIPS for the next Oasis Campus.
These scholarships are aimed at making this learning experience more accessible to people with a keen interest in cultural landscapes, traditional architecture, building trades, and above all Heritage as a value interconnected with the Territory and the Population of each place.
4 scholarships covering half of the tuition fees are offered to students and professionals from the Maghreb region and the Mediterranean area.
If you are interested, please send us an email to
campus@terrachidia.es
including your CV and a MOTIVATION LETTER.
Feel free to write to us if you would like more information or have any questions about these scholarships. The deadline for applications is 30 May.
Ich is an opportunity to understand and get inmmersed in a unique landscape, context and built environment…A chance to experiment and learn a valuable responsive ancestral knowledge, a way of living and doing. We undeniably have a lot to learn form the past.
Estos días en Ich/Figuig me han proporcionado una agradable sensación. Una mezcla de sencillez, conocimiento, colaboración…Muchas gracias por redescubrirnos entre todos la necesidad de conocer otros mundos, otras realidades y otras lógicas, que no por lejanas han de ser desconocidas o ignoradas.
If made me realize that the process of building and the processes of designing are equally important; sometimes the two can even be one and the same. Beautiful dwelling places can be built up slowly by hand; in time, the whole house becomes suffused with life.
Frecuently asked questions
Do I need to be an architect to register in this workshop?
Not at all! There have been participants of all sorts in the oasis campus workshops so far. Of course architects, but also students of different majors, historians, archeologists, gardeners, librarians.
Which construction techniques will be used?
We’ll work mainly with a mixed technique of earth and stone, as well as traditional earth rendering techniques and earth based paints. Construction of palm and oleander roofs, local techniques and materials will be used too.
Do I need to bring my own tools?
Not tools, but it is necessary to bring working gloves and good shoes.
How do I register?
1.- Fill in the registration form
2.- Transfer the registration fee (590€) following the steps you’ll find at the form and send us the receipt to campus@terrachidia.es
That easy!
*Places are limited and will be guaranteed in order of payment. .
Is there any cancelation policy?
If you cancel with a month of advice or more, you’ll get all the registration fee back. No questions asked.
What about accommodation?
We’ll sleep at a community centre of Ich ksar.
It’s included in the registration fee, as well as all the meals from dinner on the 5th to breakfast on the 14th.
And what if I have a food allergy?
In the registration form, you’ll find a space where you can tell us all about your specific situation. We’ll make everything we can to adjust the meal plan to your needs.
Shall I hire travel insurance coverage?
Yes, to participate you need to book travel insurance with travel coverage and medical assistance before the beginning of the trip.
How do I get to the Oasis?
The closest international airport is in Fez.
Then, the national bus company, CTM, makes the routes Fez – Oujda – Bouarfa and there are also collective taxis.
If a big part of the group takes the same route, we usually help in organising a private minibus so you can travel all together at a faire price. But we’ll talk about that later 😉
Terrachidia is not a travel agency but we’ll offer options to help you so you can arrive at the oasis the easiest way.
If you have any other questions or doubts, you can allways reach us at campus@terrachidia.es
See you soon!
TERRACHIDIA
Terrachidia is a project for the protection and value of cultural heritage.
We work in places that are threatened by depopulation, climate crisis or are in danger of disappearance. And with them, their memory.
Our work is directed to historical centres and rural enclaves where architecture, people and territory are an unbreakable triade.
We protect cultural landscapes.